buddy
/ˈbʌdi/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.40 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A friend or casual acquaintance.
noun
A partner for a particular activity.
noun
A partner for a particular activity.
noun
An informal and friendly address to a stranger, usually male; a friendly (or occasionally antagonistic) placeholder name for a person one does not know.
pron
A person far removed from the conversation.
adj
Resembling a bud.
Example Sentences
- "They have been buddies since they were in school."
- "He told us we ought to think of Jesus as our buddy and all. He said he talked to Jesus all the time. Even when he was driving his car. That killed me."
- "drinking buddies"
- "Near-synonym: butty"
- "training buddies [mentor/mentee]"
- "Hey, buddy, I think you dropped this."
Etymology
First appears c. 1788, in the writings of Charles Dibdin, of uncertain origin. Possibly from *bruddy, *bruthy, a child-talk alteration of brother. Alternatively, perhaps from British colloquial butty (“companion”), also the form of an older dialect term meaning workmate, associated with coal mining. Itself believed derived from 1530 as booty fellow, a partner with whom one shares booty or loot. Alternatively, compare Scots buddo, bodda (“buddy, kiddo, dear”), related to Icelandic budda (“purse"; also "short, stout person”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbʌdi/
- British English: /ˈbʌdi/
Usage
- Transitive verb
- American usage
Inflected Forms
buddies (plural)
buddies (present, singular)
buddying (participle, present)
buddied (participle, past)
buddied (past)
more buddy (comparative)
most buddy (superlative)
Buddie (alternative)